Regeneration

Chapter 14 - Acceptance

The distant clinking of ironware woke me. I checked the time on my phone to see how long I had been asleep. 8:21 p.m. it had only been about fifteen minutes.

I wandered downstairs, following the sound of movement. Strolling into the kitchen I found Romero. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and black track pants, taking out two plates from a cabinet.

Sensing my presence, he looked at me.

"Hungry?" he asked as he set the two plates on the kitchen island.

"Starving," I confessed.

I saw the corners of his lips slightly tilt upward.

I took a seat on one of the stools while he dished out two servings of pasta and spaghetti sauce. He placed one of the plates in front of me and handed me a fork. Taking a seat next to me, he began eating and so did I.

This all felt so strange. To be sitting here in someone's house having a meal with a stranger. 

We ate in silence. When we were finished he took the dishes and walked over to the sink, rinsing them he then placed them in the dishwasher.

I studied him as he did so. He then leaned against the countertop when he was done, his gaze fixed on me.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he spoke.

His words took me by surprise. Up to this point he had been grimly serious. 

"It's fine," My eyes fluttered down to my hands. 

"But I understand," I saw the sincerity in his eyes.

He moved closer, taking a seat on the stool opposite me.

I studied him, wondering if someone he loved had died and he truly understood what it felt like.

"Who did you lose?" Romero asked with a cautious tone.

Just the thought of them made my heartache.

"My mom and sister...at the evacuation." I trailed off not wanting to linger on the topic.

"I'm sorry," his dark eyes soften a bit as he said it, "And your father?"

"I don't know what happened to him or my brother, they weren't with us when things got chaotic, but I'm hoping that they're still out there and survived like me." 

He didn't say anything but I knew what he was thinking. 

We walked over to the living room, sitting on the leather-covered sofa.

"This is some house," I commented, looking around.

"Marco is a bit on the extravagant side," his eyes scanned the room as he spoke.

"Is that the friend you are supposed to be meeting? where is he?"

"He's on his way," he responded.

"What does he do or did?" I asked.

"He's an IT specialist," he answered slowly.

"And you?" I looked at him, genuinely curious.

His eyes became guarded and he looked at me with a calculative expression, "Security," he said flatly.

But somehow I didn't believe him. Maybe I was just being too guarded. I wasn't ready to trust him just yet.  

He held my gaze for a moment before looking away.

He didn't say anything after that, he just reached for the remote switching on the T.V. 

"How safe are we here? " I asked. 

"It's safe enough."  He switched to a news station, turning up the volume.

"The horrifying infection that has been sweeping across Spain, has now reached other parts of the globe. The virus has been detected in places like China, several parts of India, and a number of European countries, which is where the outbreak initially started. The infection is said to be transmitted through bites and causes erratic behavior. There's a huge question mark on where this came from and how to stop it from spreading further." The news anchor went on.

"This is worldwide?" I said softly, in shock, "this is horrible..." A sensation of fear crept under my skin. I had seen first-hand what those things could do, to imagine a whole world filled with them was horrific.

"How are they going to contain this..." My words were slow, "Can we even survive this?"

"It's getting late, we should rest," I heard Romero say besides me.

"What do you think of all of this?" I asked.

"It's unfortunate, it shouldn't have never gotten this far," His expression was solemn. 

What does that mean?

"I'll walk you to your room, mine is a few doors down," he said as he got up. 

I nodded and stood up. We walked up the stairs and down the hall, stopping at the door. "Goodnight," I spoke softly.

"Goodnight," He replied then turned to make his way to his room.

"Hey," I said making him pause in his stride, he looked at me curiously.

"Thanks... for everything," I said.

He just nodded before walking away again. 

I closed the door then strolled over to the bed. I slipped in under the covers, lying there as thoughts encircled my mind.

The past few days flashed through my head. I couldn't believe how fast the world I once knew was falling apart. It was morphing into a grim reality that required us to play by different rules. 

I needed to get tougher if I was going to survive in it and if I was going to find what family I had left.

I needed to get ready for what's coming. As much as these things terrified me I couldn't allow fear to get in the way. Romero was right... I wasn't being careful, I wasn't thinking straight and I would get myself killed like that.

I wondered what had become of my friends. Amara and Caleb were never found. My heart ached at the thought of not knowing if my best friend was alive or dead. The latter being a reality that would be difficult to come to terms with.

Last I heard from Lorenzo he was at the hospital and I never reached Lucas. I thought about those hazel eyes. Would I ever see them again...   

I felt myself slipping into the unconsciousness of sleep, in no time I had drifted off.

~~~Author's Note~~~

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